>From: AZSaluki@aol.com
>Reply-To: listserv@azgeocaching.com
>To: listserv@azgeocaching.com
>Subject: [Az-Geocaching] Congrats to RTW
>Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 23:45:05 EST

>We would like to therefore officially congratulate Scott from Roping the 
>Wind
>for taking over the top spot among AZ geocachers.  We know how much 
>insanity
>is necessary to achieve this level.  Funny thing is Scott was only the 
>second
>geocacher we ever ran into while searching for a cache.  We were out along 
>4
>peaks road on January 26, 2002 when we ran into him at Alborg's Cache (the
>Rolls) GC326D.  At the time we were both shooting to go into the top 25 for 
>the
>first time.

>Jim & Kristen
>


Thanks AZSaluki! Thanks to all that have congratulated me on the list! I 
have been fairly busy lately so havent taken the time to respond to this 
yet.

My goal since my very first month I started geocaching was to get to #1. 
Pretty much with anything I do... if there is a ranking... then I want to be 
at the top of it! :) LOL I didnt think it would every really happen in 
geocaching though. It is just too competitive. Also, being that when I first 
started out, I was probably 600 or more caches behind the leader! (Wyle E at 
the time). But, slowly but surely I moved up thru the 'pages' and finally 
got on the front page. The front page is very hard to move up on and the 
closer I got to the top, the more caches I had to find to move up more 
(while each team continues to accumulate). I looked to have a good shot at 
it back in the spring last year, but I went out of state for 3 months and 
that dropped me back into like 3rd or 4th place by time I got home. After 
getting back up there again over the Fall months, I was able to move back 
into 2nd place. Finally, I decided that I was close and if I wanted to do 
it... I would have to make a serious run for it. Februarly turned out to be 
that month. I had a slow month business wise and so took every opportunity 
to make big runs. Even at that, I could move closer to AZSaluki, but never 
really seemed to be able to make a single run to move past them. Finally, a 
run of 30 caches around Wickenburg did it. One statistic that I do not care 
to look at is how much money in gas I probably spent in February 
geocaching!!!!!!

Not sure how long it will last. I am sure AZSaluki will have another big 
weekend coming up.... but, I will enjoy my stand at #1 for the short amount 
of time it will probably last! :)  If it only lasts for a week, I can 
proudly say "I was there"! My goal accomplished! It has been a fun run to 
the top and have met many great friends in this hobby over the past two 
years. I found out about geocaching from the Garmin.com web site and clicked 
on the link and that afternoon I was out near Canyon Lake searching for my 
first cache! I met Wyle E (of yellow jeep fame!) at that very first cache 
and ALMOST got the first find on it to boot! But, my inexperience put me at 
the bottom of a canyon when the cache was at the top! and it was a deep 
canyon too! :) We got up to the top to find Larry and Connie searching the 
area around the coordinates! We didnt know who they were at the time. But, 
later on found out the great Wyle E snaked us to that first find! :)  
Perhaps the greatest moment for us was that they offered (and we accepted 
after our long grueling hike that day thru the bottom of the canyon!) us a 
ride back to our truck in 'The Yellow Jeep'!!! :)  We didnt know just how 
sought after that ride is!  :) LOL

The cost of all the GPS's I have ever owned and used geocaching: $1,000
the cost of gas for every geocaching trip I have ever gone on: $1,254,283.34 
(slight exaggeration)
Damage done to "that big white 2wd truck that goes almost anywhere" 
geocaching: inestimable!
A ride back to our truck in The Yellow Jeep: PRICELESS!

Well, we shall try and hold onto the #1 for as long as we can.. but, March 
is shaping up to be a great month for business and lots of stuff in the 
books. But, will do what we can! I thas been a fun ride though over the past 
2 years and have seen locations around AZ that I never knew existed! Thanks 
to all who have hidden the 1,161 caches we have found so far! We are now 
waiting for an open weekend day to get out and hide our next cache to 
commemorate our achievement!

Scott
Team Ropingthewind

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